Press Play with Madeleine Brand

Journalist Katherine Stewart charts the rise of the Christian right and its influence in the Trump administration in her new book “Money, Lies, and God.”

“The Empire Strikes Back,” now 45 years old, changed Hollywood with its bold twists, deeper characters, and the introduction of Yoda. It's the franchise that shaped sequels.

Women are less likely to have kids than ever, says a new CDC report. The fertility rate in the U.S. has dropped for years — now the White House wants to reverse that trend.

LA Mayor Karen Bass has released her next budget. To help close a massive deficit, the city may have to lay off around 5% of the city workforce.

LA’s Japanese American National Museum is refusing to follow the Trump administration’s orders to end DEI efforts. Now it's at risk of losing $2 million of federal funding.

The documentary “One to One” follows John Lennon and Yoko Ono through a tumultuous period in their lives and American politics, reassessing Ono’s artistry and her influence on Lennon. 

YouTube turns 20 this year. The popular video site democratized content on the web, but also inflamed culture wars, radicalized users, and further polarized an already divided society.

Pope Francis, who died overnight, is remembered for having a more progressive approach to immigration, climate change, and the LGBTQ commmunity than his predecessors.

Early Saturday morning, the Supreme Court blocked the Trump administration from deporting another group of Venezuelan migrants it claims are gang members.

Marie Davidson’s album “City of Clowns” is inspired by the book “The Age of Surveillance Capitalism,” which focuses on a new form of capitalism based on data mining. 

Apple is rolling out AI technology that will train itself on your messages, pictures, and more — while keeping the source material private. Is it secure?

Google and Meta are under fire in court. Officials claim they crushed rivals to stay on top. The outcome could upend how Big Tech works. 

The University of South Florida surveyed more than 1,500 kids, and found that 11 to 13-year-olds who had their own smartphones fared better psychologically than their peers who didn’t have phones.

Critics review the latest film releases: “Sinners, “The Wedding Banquet,” “The Shrouds,” and “The President's Wife.”

“Metal mouths” are back. Old-school metal braces are becoming the teeth-straightener of choice among kids and adults.  

The Oakland mayoral race is a close call between progressive Barbara Lee and moderate challenger Loren Taylor. In SF, Mayor Daniel Lurie rounds out his first 100 days.

A cinematic heist in Downtown Los Angeles: Thieves recently tunneled from a historic theater through “castle-like” walls into a store packed with bling.

Hungarian Susan Polgar earned chess’ highest honor at age 15. She and her family faced antisemitism and harassment from the ruling Communist Party, and sexism from opponents and officials in chess. Her new memoir is “Rebel Queen.”

What’s the relationship between art and democracy? After his firing from the Kennedy Center, poet Marc Bamuthi Joseph has some thoughts.

Harvard will not comply with sweeping demands from the Trump administration targeting pro-Palestinian organizing. Can other universities afford to join them? 

Mohsen Mahdawi’s detention exposes the rising risks faced by pro-Palestinian students during the Trump administration’s crackdown on campuses.

Netflix’s “Adolescence” explores the issue of growing up online and what social media pressures can do to lonely, angry young men. It also looks at generational male violence.

The Titanic hit an iceberg and sank more than 100 years ago, but the disaster has captured the imagination of Generation Alpha.

The Supreme Court ordered the Trump administration to facilitate Kilmar Abrego Garcia’s return to the U.S. The White House is asserting its power to say “no.” 

Immigration agents visited two South LA schools recently, looking for five students they said were undocumented. School officials turned them away in a test of LAUSD’s policy of noncooperation with ICE.

An autocracy journalist discusses the rise of authoritarianism in Hungary and sees parallels in some recent actions by the Trump administration.

In the 1970s and 80s, Jeff Bridges recorded songs with his childhood buddies in his West LA neighborhood. Now those songs are in the new album “Slow Magic, 1977-1978.”

Several top IRS officials resigned as the Trump administration revealed its plans to use tax data to target undocumented immigrants.

Despite vowing to fight a trade war to “the end,” Chinese officials are dealing with economic dilemmas at home.

Critics review the latest film releases: “The Amateur,” “Drop,” “Warfare,” and “One to One: John & Yoko.”

“The Great Gatsby” was published 100 years ago today. Its enduring message about the empty and corrupting power of wealth may be even more relevant now.

The federal government is planning to investigate the CA Dept. of Education over a state law that says schools cannot require officials to notify parents if students identify as transgender or are exploring their gender identity on campus.

The federal government will not test soil in the fire zones, so USC researchers are doing it for them. For earth scientist Josh West, the work is close to home. 

Critics review the latest film releases: “Death of a Unicorn,” “Grand Tour,” “An Unfinished Film,” and “The Ballad of Wallis Island.”

The appearance of rhubarb stalks in markets is a welcome burst of color and tart flavor. You can use the vegetable in breakfast, dessert, and cocktail recipes.

The Trump administration has halted a program financing lawyers for immigrant children. That leaves 26,000 kids nationwide at risk of immediate deportation, unless alternate funding can be found.

President Trump continued his assault on the country’s biggest law firms by signing an executive order targeting Chicago-based Jenner & Block. It revokes security clearances from the firm’s lawyers who require them to do their jobs, and limits attorneys’ access to federal buildings.

Harriet Tubman has come back to life and wants to make a hip-hop album. That’s the premise of Bob the Drag Queen’s debut novel.

Duonychus tsogtbaatari is a newly discovered plant-eater that roamed Earth tens of millions of years ago. It had a long neck, two legs, and two massive claws.

The Supreme Court heard oral arguments today in a challenge to Louisiana’s voting maps. A group of “non-African American” voters argue the state illegally relied on race to create the new districts.

James Murdoch reveals the real-life “Succession” drama roiling his family in an exclusive interview with The Atlantic. At stake: Who controls Fox News?

Frontman Jim James talks about handing over creative control of My Morning Jacket’s 10th studio album. He also shares his personal success with EMDR therapy. 

Ukraine says tens of thousands of children have been taken and illegally hidden within Russia’s adoption system since the invasion. A lab at the Yale School of Public Health that had been tracking this fell victim to the Trump administration’s foreign aid cuts

Dina Ament spent about four years remodeling her historic Tudor-style cottage. After the Eaton Fire leveled it, she at first wanted to rebuild, but ultimately decided that selling was best.

Part play, part rock concert, "Cambodian Rock Band" is a story of survival. Playwright Lauren Yee explores Cambodia's dark past with music and humor.

Microgravity, confined quarters, and heightened galactic radiation lead to physiological changes in humans. What we’re learning in space is influencing terrestrial health care. 

The Environmental Protection Agency might eliminate its office of scientific research — a move that advocates say would have drastic consequences on efforts to protect Americans from hazardous chemicals, air and water pollution, and climate change. 

The National Institutes of Health gives most of its money to universities, medical schools, and research institutions. Due to actions by the Trump administration, the NIH says it’ll sharply cut the size of its grants.

Cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was shot and killed on set filming the low-budget Western “Rust.” One of her closest friends directed a new documentary about her life.

The Dodgers start their run for back-to-back World Series championships with a win over the Cubs in front of a supportive crowd in Tokyo. 

President Trump invoked the 1798 Alien Enemies Act to deport more than 200 alleged Venezuelan gang members. But a judge blocked those deportations over the weekend.

Salvadoran President and self-proclaimed “world’s coolest dictator” Nayib Bukele is cozying up to Trump. He’s viewed as a hero on the right for his mass-imprisonment policies.

DOJ lawyers accused Rasha Alawieh, a kidney transplant specialist at Brown University, of having “sympathetic” photos of Hezbollah leaders on her phone. She was put on a plane to Paris and informed that her H1-B visa had been canceled.  

Jennifer Lee’s new album is a tribute to her late best friend. She also talks about LA’s impact on her identity, and what it was like to not comprehend music or language due to a brain disorder.